A Single EU Policy Towards Taiwan? The Many 'One China' Policies in the EU

Taiwan had for many years had a very limited engagement with Europe, as most countries prioritised their engagement with China, in a context of China's growth and the positive perspectives around its integration in the global political and economic regime. Yet, in recent years and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the perspectives of China in Europe became increasingly negative, as China's foreign policy became more assertive and it seek a leadership role in global institutions through its re-definition and selective application of global norms. Nonetheless, it was Russia's invasion of Ukraine that put the spotlight on Taiwan, especially as the second Centenary Goal of China approaches, by when it has committed itself to achieve national reunification without renouncing to the use of force. While China has promoted its 'One China' principle as a universal consensus and a basic norm of international relations, the reality is quite different in Europe, as each Member state has adapted this principle into its own 'One China' policy, according to its interests vis-à-vis China and Taiwan, as well as its own domestic considerations and history. Through in-depth interviews with Taiwanese diplomats and EU policymakers from the European Parliament, this paper analyses the flexibility of the 'One China' policy in the EU, uncovering which are its main conceptual elements and the geographical variation in Europe, which results in the lack of a single definition at the EU level that in turn has an inevitable impact in the definition of the EU's policy towards Taiwan and, more broadly, on its regulatory and soft power not only in the eyes of Taiwan, but in the whole Indo-Pacific region, where the EU is making an effort to appear not only as an economic partner but also as a security one. This has direct consequences on the EU's strategic autonomy and its ability to build a geopolitical Union and a global player in the Indo-Pacific region and counter the influence of China. Finally, the paper details how the implementation of the 'One China' policy in Europe impacts the EU's (para-)diplomatic and diplomatic relations with Taiwan, both at the EU and the Member State level, from the perspectives of the EU's foreign policy and trade interests, in the context of achieving strategic autonomy, economic security, and de-risking, in what is probably the biggest hotspot in an increasingly contested world.